


Manipulation of the Mind

by Maggiee24



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Canabalism, M/M, Manipulative Abigail, Manipulative Hannibal, alternate season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-07 05:30:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10353273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maggiee24/pseuds/Maggiee24
Summary: An alternate continuation of season two; where in Hannibal and Abigail performed an elaborate show to escape America with an unwitting Will and create a new life in Italy. Though that is not to say that old habits die hard. So Will is left to pick up the pieces of his, once again, shattered mind and craft his escape from their seemingly idealic life.





	1. Chapter 1

Will groggily cracked open his eyes. Sounds and images swooped and swayed, swirling into psychedelic patterns. The creak of floor boards melting into a moan of pain, not that the sounds gave him any sense of what was going on. He tried to follow one particularly notable blotch of brown, but he was finding it harder and harder to concentrate as the moments passed.  
“Go back to sleep William; all will be taken care of.” The voice was deep and soothing but only served to put him more on edge. Not that it mattered; Will was out again before he could have any conscious thought.

The next 48 hours of Will Graham’s life were a series of incoherent moments of semi consciousness. The cry of a young woman here. The sharp prick of a needle there. A lightness in his stomach that he usually only felt while flying. None of the events seemed to fit together right, like a jigsaw where each piece was from a different puzzle. The only thing he could remember clearly was a bitter taste in his mouth that wouldn't seem to go away.

When Will finally surfaced into consciousness it was in the comfort of an amazingly soft queen sized bed. Gradually as his eyes adjusted to the bright natural light and his mind shook away the residual drag of sleep, he began to see more. He was in a homey and vaguely familiar bedroom. Will rested in a four post bed with sunshine streaming in through a large window overlooking the country side behind him. There were two doors on the wall to his left and one to his right. On the wall directly before him rested a modest fireplace adorned with multiple picture frames. In the various pictures Will saw himself, a slightly older man and a much younger girl. All of which were unfamiliar to him.

After that silent revelation the door on the right swung open without a squeak, revealing the girl from the pictures, though in person she appeared more of a young women. She gasped upon meeting eyes with him and rushed over to the bed. Carefully balancing a laden tray as she did so. After setting it on the bed side table she leant over to engulf him in a hug and started babbling.  
“Dad you’re ok! Tėtis said you would be, but you’ve been out for so long I was getting worried. He’ll be so happy to see you awake.” The girl paused for a brief moment to gasp before she started to pull away.  
“I should go get him, so we can celebrate.”  
The girl started to pull away but Will gripped her left forearm tightly; preventing her leave.

“Who are you?” He tried to be stern with his words but they came out more croaky. He obviously had been out for a while.  
“Dad?” The girl questioned, hurt flashing in her eyes.  
“I feared that the attack may have caused some memory loss, but I hadn’t believed that it would be to this extent.” The deep baritone shocked Will into releasing his grip and the girl ran only to fling her arms around the speaker. The man was also from the photographs. After bringing his arms around the girl cradling her head -in what looked like a very thorough hug- the man began to whisper soothing words into her hair.

A few moments later they separated and the girl went straight to the door, head bowed and not bothering to close it behind her. The man cautiously approached the bed; as if Will was a wounded animal that would lash out at any moment. In reality Will didn’t believe that he had enough energy to fight, so instead he decided to wait and see how the situation played out.

“Hello my name is Dr Hannibal Lecture, this is our home in Aosta Valley, Italy. Before I tell you any more however, I need to know how much you remember.” By this point the good doctor had reached the bedside and began to move a chair from beside the bedside table, mindful of the I.V Will only just noticed hooked up beside him.

“My name is Will Graham, I’m a teacher at the FBI academy. I consult with the FBI on murder cases. Umm, I live –or lived?- in Wolf Trap Virginia, with my 7 dogs and I fly fish. Sorry, did you say Italy? I don’t even speak Italian.” He rambled slightly. A smiled played on the Doctors face and Will felt oddly satisfied. Though his expression soon turned to one of concern;  
“William, do you know what day it is?”

Will frowned at the question,  
“Well I’ve been out for a while I’m sure but last I remember it was early April, 2009. Why what is the date?” Hannibal’s face softened and when he spoke it was with a gentleness Will had never heard before;  
“William it is the 12th March, 2010. I fear that the attack may have blocked out nearly a year’s worth of memories.”

William just sat in stunned silence for a few moments. His eyes roamed the room but there was little else to take in. Finding the silence too ominous he turned to Hannibal;  
“Can you tell me what’s happened in that time?” For some reason he trusted the man, felt like they had shared a great deal of time and space with each other. The doctor reminded him of home, family and comfort; almost excessively.  
“Of course my dear William.” Hannibal replied shortly before pivoting in his seat towards the door. “You can join us if you wish Abigail, eaves dropping is very rude and I expected you to know better.”

“Sorry Tėtis, I just wasn’t sure if Dad would want me in here.” The girl apologised as she peaked inside the room. Hannibal turned to Will to see what he would say. It took Will a moment too long to realize that they were both looking to him for conformation.  
“That would be fine” He answered quickly, embarrassed at how long it took him to respond.  
“You can help Dr Lecter fill the gaps in my memory.”  
“Please, call me Hannibal; you normally would.” Hannibal’s voice held a hint of sadness that twisted Will up inside.

“Of course Hannibal.” Will replied, smugness settling in his chest at the smile that ghosted the man’s lips. The feeling seemed unnatural in his thoughts though; but Will pushed his worry aside for later. The girl –Abigail, he really needed to use her name- moved to the end of the bed and sat tentatively on the foot of the bed. After no negative reaction from Will she pulled herself up completely, curling up with her knees to her chest and back to the bedpost.  
“Let’s begin with proper introductions, then I will explain why we are in Italy. I am Hannibal Lecture as I stated before, and this is Abigail Lecture our daughter.” There was an almost imperceptible emphasis on the ‘our’.

Will inhaled sharply, while he hadn’t really thought much on his relationship with Dr Lecture –Hannibal he corrected-, he hadn’t expected that. Which was kind of naive he thought sourly, there were only three of them in the photographs. A common fact for newer families and why else would he be in a home and not a hospital.

“How long?” Will asked without thinking, wincing as soon as the words left his mouth. Not only was it an unclarified question, it was probably hurtful for Hannibal to hear. Somehow Hannibal knew what he was asking and took the question with an amazing amount of grace.  
“We have only been partners for approximately 3 months; Abigail was thrust into our arms 2 months before that and we spent that time awkwardly dancing around each other.”

“It was like watching a deer and a dog interacting for the first time. The buck trying to work out if the furry creature was safe. While the dog bounced around excitedly trying not to be kicked.” Abigail interrupted, mirth flooding her tone. Will smiled at the mental image, glad that he had not caused too much trouble by speaking without thinking.  
“Thank you Abigail for that summary of our interactions.” Abigail just grinned in response.

After a brief, comfortable pause Hannibal continued his explanation.  
“Up until four days ago you still worked with the FBI as a criminal profiler. You only returned two weeks previously after having been treated for encephalitis. I worked as a psychiatrist at my own practice and Abigail was finishing her secondary schooling from home.” Will wondered briefly why the girl had been studying from home and not getting the proper social interaction that came with schools. Though he didn’t linger on the thought for too long, he didn’t want to miss what Hannibal was saying.

“You had just arrived at my residence from Wolftrap for dinner while I finished up with my last client for the day.” Hannibal’s voice grew thicker and his pace slowed down considerably. ‘It must have been hard for him’ Will thought sadly.  
“When I stepped into the house I knew something was wrong, I found you and Abigail in the kitchen kneeling on the floor. One of my clients stood behind you wielding a knife. He ranted about how I had been too distracted by my pseudo family to treat him correctly. As he deserved. Before I had even the chance to reply he pushed the blade into your abdomen, thankfully only grazing your stomach and missing all other vital organs. Abigail was closer to me than him, so when he made a dash for her I reached him in time to incapacitate him.”

A beat of silence passed as Hannibal swallowed around a lump in his throat. Pride hinted his voice as he continued.  
“Abigail, despite going into shock dialed 911 and helped me to stabilize your condition. The next day I decided that we needed to leave America for a while. That was the second attack we suffered from one of my patients, and you always feared that your job endangered our lives. So less than 24 hours after the attack I made sure that we were on a flight to Italy. Which is where we currently lie in residence.”

They were plenty of holes in the story, they both knew it. But the details could wait for later. Will felt his eye lids grow heavy, though he fought the feeling. Abigail slipped off of the bed and took the tray from earlier with her as she left the room. Hannibal rose from his chair and moved it back into place behind the bedside table. He lent over Will and smoothed his wild curls back from his fore head. He kissed the cleared spot gently and spoke against the skin,  
“Go to sleep Will, let your body heal. I’ll be here when you wake.”

Will mumbled a ‘thank you’ in reply but he wasn’t sure if Hannibal heard –or understood- it. His voice so slurred from the drag of sleep. That night Will dreamt of a black haired dog chasing a similarly dark buck. Though as the dream progressed Will got the foreboding sense that despite the dogs lead, the buck was really the one in control.


	2. Settling in

When Will awoke again it was dark, very dark. The only source of light was the dying fire in front of him. Will took the moment of peace to compose himself and take stock of his injuries. His stomach burned only slightly, though the pain flared when he moved too harshly. His head felt stuffed with cotton wool and his vision was fuzzy around the edges. Otherwise he felt fine, and blessedly the most rested he had felt in an indiscernibly long time.

After spending several more minutes just existing, Will’s stomach growled; interrupting the silence. Flushing slightly he decided to get up and explore his new surrounds. Slowly inching his legs off of the bed and sitting up with his feet gingerly resting upon the plush carpet. Gradually shifting his weight to them and standing hesitantly. His legs felt soft and jelly like at first, but as he stepped away from the bed strength returned and it got easier to walk. Will knew that the right door led to the rest of the house, so instead he shuffled around the bed to investigate the two doors on the left.

The closest door housed a very decently sized walk in robe where Will spotted a multitude of plaid suits occupying one side and his clothes, interspersed with items that looked too nice to be his own, on the other. Will fingered the nearest garment on ‘his’ side and almost sighed at the softness of it. Pulling it out Will realised that it looked like a simple pullover. Glancing down at his singlet and boxers he figured it wouldn’t hurt to wear the jumper and maybe find a pair of pants.

Will emerged wearing one of, definitely, his own trousers and the soft jumper. Continuing his endeavour, Will shuffled over to the next door. It revealed the largest bathroom he had ever seen. There was a two person shower on the left, a large Jacuzzi style built in bath behind it and the fanciest toilet and floating vanity he had ever seen on the right. Hesitantly stepping in, Will tried not to capture his own reflection in the large mirror above the sink but failed miserably.

When he did see himself he had to do a double take. He looked ok. The bags under his eyes were entirely gone, his hair was a little long but had obviously been cut just before the attack. He had a slight beard coming on but his skin looked healthy and nourished. Something it hadn’t in a very long time. Maybe not though, maybe he had looked like this is the year he couldn’t remember. Frustration welled up in Will’s throat as he focused upon his lost time.

Letting his eyes close, his lecture hall faded into view, filled with unfocused students and the tired drone of his own voice. Jack Crawford, the head of behavioural sciences approaching him after his dismissal. That was odd, while he knew the man and spoken with him briefly, they had rarely interacted otherwise. So why would he be approaching him? Ahh, so he wanted his help on a case.

Will witnessed his own memory like an intruder, watched and analysed it from outside his original perspective. Though the scene didn’t last much longer. Jack had wanted his help finding the person behind a series of missing teenage girls, but as soon as he tried to push the scene further it faded. After realising that no more memories would be forth coming, Will opened his eyes and blinked around the room. Deciding to try again later, he padded out of the bathroom and over to the last door.

Will found himself stepping into a short hallway. It ended just to his right and a door was further up to his left. Past the door was an archway with light spilling from it. Walking towards the light Will didn’t hear the footsteps until the door beside him swung open. Abigail blinked at him in shock and started apologising for her timing. It was false, Will knew –how could he not- but he played along and reassured her it was just an accident.

They then walked together silently towards the pool of light beyond the arch. Once Will’s eyes adjusted to the brightly lit room he gazed around a grand kitchen with beautiful granite countertops, dark wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances. Hannibal stood at the island counter facing them while delicately cutting a myriad of vegetables. The man flicked his eyes up when they walked in and shared a look with Abigail before focusing again on his task.

“Good evening William, Abigail. Dinner should be completed shortly, you might want to take a look around the house in the meantime. Familiarise yourself with your surrounds.” As Hannibal spoke Will smelt the lovely aroma of cooking flesh. His stomached rumbled again reminding him of his hunger.  
“Mmm, is that pork?”  
“Of a variety yes.” Hannibal’s lips curled like it was a private joke.  
“I don’t think Italian pigs are that much different to American ones.”  
“You might be surprised my dear William.”

Taking Hannibal’s cryptic reply as a dismissal, Will turned to leave the kitchen via a second archway. It opened up to a cosy living room; another fireplace adorned with pictures, two very plush looking couches and two walls of book shelves. It niggled at something in Will’s memory but he couldn’t get a firm grasp on the foggy connection. Figuring it was something from his lost year he let the idea slip and instead wandered around his apparent new home.

Most rooms were of similar feel to the living room, of a cosy family home with an air of sophistication. Will got the feeling that Hannibal was more of a manor or mansion kind of man. So obviously this house was designed to cater more to his own tastes with Hannibal’s linings of luxury.  Will had to admit that the effect was rather pleasant and he found himself slowly falling in love with the large, single storied home.

Before Will could make his way outside into the lush looking garden that glowed ethereally in the moon light, Hannibal’s voice called him back to the kitchen. While slowly navigating his way back, the even more deliciously smelling food began the pervade Will’s nose. Making his long forgotten stomach growl in anticipation. Will smiled sheepishly when Hannibal looked up at the loud noise. “Apologies William, I hadn’t realised that you were that hungry.” The man spoke affectionately as he ferried the plates into the dining room.

“More so than I thought myself.” Will replied softly as he sat across from Abigail, Hannibal on his right at the head of the table. The thought briefly leading Will’s mind to ponder how Hannibal might react to him sitting in the Doctors place. Despite not remembering meeting the man, Will felt he knew him very well. The train of thought leading to a cheeky smile that he quickly hid behind a forkful of pulled pork. Though all merriment was lost as he practically moaned around the mouthful of heavenly meat. Ok, so he may have completely missed the fact that this man was a wiz in the kitchen.

Abigail giggle behind her hand and shared a grin with Hannibal before reassuring Will,  
“That was basically my reaction the first time I ate Tėtis’ cooking.” Will was glad that he hadn’t entirely embarrassed himself, but he was also too busy eating to properly pay attention. He was ravenous, and with an internal jolt he realised that he probably hadn’t eaten in a few days. If the I.V in his room and bandages around his stomach were anything to go off. Despite his hunger, Will barely finished half of what was on his plate before he began to slow down.

“A shrinking of the stomach is common after long periods of not eating. By my estimate it has been at least 5 days since you last ate properly. Though I can’t be sure as we both held such busy schedules that it was hard to make sure you ate properly during the day.” Will already knew this of course, but Hannibal’s use of past tense in relation to their routines threw him off enough to not press the issue of mansplaining. Though knowing why he couldn’t eat anymore didn’t make it any easier to sit quietly though the rest of the meal that he wasn’t able to enjoy.

“Do not fret William, I have prepared a desert that you should be able to enjoy despite your shrunken appetite.” Hannibal reassured as he cleared their plates at the end of the meal and left with a flourish for the kitchen. Abigail lent over the table and whispered conspiringly as soon as Hannibal had turned his back,  
“He spent extra time cooking to make sure it would be the best for your first meal back. I’ve never seen him so concerned over something, he’s really missed you while you were out of it.”

Will couldn’t help but wonder about the girl in front of him. Wonder what could have possible happened to her to make her such an effective manipulator. Had he been a normal person he’s sure he would have felt much more affection towards his ‘partner’. But he only wondered why the girl was so interested in rekindling their relationship. Though, Will had to tip his hat to her, she was an extremely effective wolf in sheep’s wool.

Barely an hour later Will found himself once again in the massive closet, this time searching for a clean pair of boxers, his wet hair dripping down his back and into the towel wrapped haphazardly around his waist. Supressing a shiver as he pulled open a random drawer and silently cheered at his successful find. As soon as Will had finished pulling on his boxers and moved his towel back to his hair the door to the closet opened to reveal his plaid suited companion. Will locked up at first, wondering what the other male was doing here when his rational mind caught up and he forced himself to relax.

“Sorry, am I in your way?” Despite his quick correction Will could tell that his reaction had upset the doctor. “Not at all William, I just needed to get a set of fresh sleepwear. I apologise for the interruption, I had assumed that you were still in the en suite.” Will shuffled out into the bedroom and quickly hung the towel in the bathroom to avoid the tension that had filled the air. It suddenly occurred to Will that this was _their_ bedroom.

While he had realised that before with the closet and all, it really only just struck him. That was _their_ bed, not _his_ bed. Would they be sharing tonight? Would Hannibal be expecting them to spoon or cuddle in their sleep? Will had honestly no idea what would be expected of him and it scared him. Before he could start to freak out or come up with excuses for them not to sleep together Hannibal called his name softly from the bedroom. Will took a deep breath to steady himself before poking his head out of the bathroom, the rest of his body following him out reluctantly.

 Hannibal spoke to him softly as though afraid he might scare off a frightened animal,  
“I did not mean to scare you Will. While this is our bedroom, I have been sleeping in the spare room. Which I will continue to do until you are ready for us to sleep in the same bed again. I will not rush you in these matters.” Will exhaled noticeably,  
“Thank you Hannibal. I understand that we are a couple but I’m not sure I’m ready to sleep together yet.”  
“That is fine William, I would not expect you to sleep with someone you barely know.” The tone was even, but Will couldn’t help but feel like he was being guilt tripped.

“Thank you again, and, good night Hannibal.” Said man made his way to the door during the pause and stood with his hand on the handle as he softly replied,  
“Good night William.” Before slipping out into the hall. Will crawled into bed and fell into a deep sleep before he could even begin to analyse any of the evening’s events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long wait! I won't dribble over why it took so long, it's boring life stuff. But I will thank all of you dear readers for your interest! It's honestly the best thing to see people enjoying the words I've strung together. 
> 
> Again, I have no beta, so any mistakes are my own, and please call me up on them! My spelling has always been atrocious, though I do try, so any and all corrections are appreciated.
> 
> Happy Fic Hunting!  
> ~Maggiee24

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! 
> 
> This story has been in the works literally since I saw the season two finale, I have still yet to see the third season in an effort to keep this world pure in my mind long enough to write it. But seeing as I haven't progressed much in a while, I figured I'd throw the first chapter to the wolves and see if that gives me the oomf to finish fleshing this baby out. I have the over arching plot and several key scenes skeletoned, I'm just too easily distracted to have filled it in yet. 
> 
> I'll pop the next chapter up soonish, provided this gets some interest. Oh! It's only kinda Beta'd so all mistakes are my own. Someone read through it at some point, but I've played with it a bit since. If anyone wants to put their hand up to edit it I'd love you forever! My normal Beta has started uni and I really don't want to bother her when she's trying to focus on finals and stuff. :)
> 
> I obviously do not own Hannibal and it's affiliations,  
> but I am the soul puppeteer for this iteration of the characters. 
> 
> Happy Fic Hunting!  
> ~Maggiee24


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